Phantom

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s play “The Phantom of the Opera” is a worldwide megahit. The film version is one of the season’s most highly anticipated releases.

The story is about a disfigured musical genius who exists and roams mysteriously inside the Paris Opera House. He loves a young woman whom he has influenced musically and wants to make sure that she is a formidable part of the cast.

He will do all that he can to make sure she is where he wants her to be. This creates problems for the other members of the opera company.

Things will really get complicated when the young woman falls for another man. The ghost-like presence of the Phantom will cause turmoil.

The film, like the play, is a feast for the eyes and ears. The music is sensational and the songs are thrilling. The sets are dazzling and the large cast only adds to the excitement and stirring moments.

There is a school of thought which contends that taking a play and making it into a movie is a bad idea. But the film version of “Chicago” was better than the play. Here the play and movie are equal in their presentation and the movie is in a word, sensational.

The relatively unknowns in the cast are excellent. Gerard Butler who was in “Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life” is an imposing presence as the Phantom, and Emmy Rossum who was in “The Day After Tomorrow” is enchanting as the singer Christine.

Patrick Wilson is her lover, Raoul, and his scenes are some of the best in the film. Miranda Richardson and Minnie Driver also have key roles.

Directed by Joel Schumacher, this film is easily one of the year’s top 10 films and may be the best picture of the year.